


Homeostasis

by rexluscus



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Ficlet, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-07-02
Packaged: 2018-07-19 16:32:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7369279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexluscus/pseuds/rexluscus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's cold and there's only one sleeping bag. Kylo tries to be a gentleman.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homeostasis

**Author's Note:**

  * For [carnival_papers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/carnival_papers/gifts).



> For [carnival_papers's prompt on tumblr](http://rex-luscus.tumblr.com/post/146714079532/kylux-bedsharing-for-the-drabble-requests): "kylux bedsharing." This ended up being more pre-Kylux than proper Kylux, sorry...

It’s 40 below outside the emergency shelter, and the air inside feels only slightly warmer. General Hux strips down to his underwear and crawls into his thermal sleeping sack. It’s large enough for two, but for mysterious reasons, Kylo Ren has chosen to sit a few feet away on the ground.

“Ren,” says Hux after he can no longer stand it. “Take off that—thing, and get in here.”

Ren doesn’t reply. Until after several minutes he suddenly says, “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

“This is not the time for—” Hux grits his teeth— “Ren, what am I going to tell the Supreme Leader when you freeze to death two feet away from a perfectly good Hoth-rated sleeping sack?

"I won’t freeze. I'll—”

“Use ‘the Force’?” Hux risks the freezing air on his hands to make air quotes. “I can see how well _that’s_ working—you’re shivering uncontrollably!”

“Shivering is a sign that one is _not_ hypothermic.”

“Well, guess what?” Hux rolls his eyes. “You _could_ be a lot warmer than just 'not hypothermic.’ But you’d rather freeze, because you’re a stubborn asshole.”

Ren shrugs, as if to say, _Yes, and?_

“Fine.” Hux flops onto his other side. “Enjoy your night of warding off hypothermia.”

Once the last of the light fades, the temperature drops even farther.

Hux wakes up to violent jostling as someone struggles to crawl into the sack with him.

“Ren—” Hux squints in the low light. “You can't—you’re not meant to keep all your clothes on, let alone that helmet—!”

“It’s temperature-controlled,” Ren insists in a loud whisper.

“I don’t care, it’s not getting in here with me!”

Ren heaves a theatrical sigh and yanks off the helmet. Then he sulks for another few seconds before pulling off the rest of his clothes and getting in.

Hux immediately wishes he hadn’t worked so hard to convince him. “Stars, you feel like a block of ice!”

“I’ve been sitting in sub-zero temperatures for the last four hours.”

A few inches of Hux’s skin brushes Ren’s and he flinches away, squirming into the far corner of the sleeping sack. Ren, however, makes a soft sound of longing and rolls over to chase him. Suddenly Hux is shrieking at the top of his lungs as Ren gloms onto him like a giant frozen mynock. He seems to have at least twice as many arms and legs as usual.

“Uggghhh,” Ren moans brokenly in his ear, teeth chattering, “y-you’re so—warm-m-m—”

“I won’t be for much longer!” Hux snaps, squirming out of Ren’s grasp but finding each escaped limb recaptured every time he tries.

Gradually, Ren’s icy body warms up and he begins to contribute his own body heat. Both of them stop shivering. In fact, it doesn’t take long for the sleeping sack to become uncomfortably hot, and soon they’re sweating where their skin is pressed together.

“Ren,” Hux says, “I think you can—you don’t need to—anymore—”

“This is nice,” says Ren softly. He’s still got all of his limbs wrapped tightly around Hux, and his body is giving out as much heat as a small nuclear reactor.

“That’s well and good for you,” says Hux, “but some of us—”

Ren snores.

“Fuck,” says Hux.

He opens the top of the sleeping sack to let in a bit of freezing air and settles back against Ren’s massive, sweaty chest. Worse things have happened, he supposes. Five minutes later, he’s asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [Tumblr](http://rex-luscus.tumblr.com)!


End file.
